<p>Leonardo da Vinci, artist, scientist, engineer was a man of great intellect and curiosity. Yet today, we would also label Leonardo da Vinci an entrepreneur and a teacher.&nbsp; Leonardo was an entrepreneur, because he made his living as an artist and engineer. Teacher, because early in his career he taught his students and apprentices how to paint, sculpt and the importance of observation.<br />&nbsp;<br />To understand how we can learn entrepreneurship from Leonardo da Vinci, let&rsquo;s take a look at the attributes that were the keys in his development as an artist.<br /><br /><strong>VISION</strong><br />"Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?" &nbsp;- Leonardo da Vinci <br /><br />Leonardo da Vinci was obsessed with combining his vision to reality. He was seldom satisfied with his work, completing only 20 commissioned paintings in his lifetime. Yet, he was more than willing to share his ideas with those who would listen. <br /><br />Entrepreneurs are visionaries as well. They see business opportunities others have overlooked and are willing to share their discoveries with other people.&nbsp; Successful entrepreneurs flow with the prevailing business climate and make adjustments when necessary.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>FAITH</strong><br />"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art." &ndash; Leonardo da Vinci<br /><br />Leonardo studied various aspects of nature, the design and pattern of all manner of people, plants and horses, as well as designed fantastic mechanical devices. He was a keen observer and placed his faith in his observations which he wrote down (over 5,000 pages) in his journals. He planned to ultimately combine the information from the journals and publish them as a set of books with the intention of teaching others what he had learned.&nbsp; <br /><br />An entrepreneur must believe in himself and his ability to take hold of an idea and have enough faith in himself to bring it into fruition. Life experiences and education are also a part of what the entrepreneur brings to the table. <br /><br /><strong>PLANNING</strong><br />"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." -- Leonardo da Vinci <br /><br />Leonardo da Vinci was always experimenting with paints, lights and composition and was not afraid to experiment with new forms of expression. However, he was not so successful with all of his experiments. Some of the mixtures of paint he made would peel off his paintings or murals after drying. <br /><br />The successful entrepreneur should not be afraid of failure when he puts together his business plan.&nbsp; Failure is part of learning. Success takes planning and it takes time. <br /><br /><strong>CLARIFICATION</strong><br />"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." -- Leonardo da Vinci<br /><br />Before Leonardo da Vinci painted a picture or created a bronze sculpture he knew the exact form he wanted his art to take. He sketched various forms of his creation, clarifying his idea until he was relatively satisfied with the result. While he was teaching his pupils, he would have several of them work on various parts of his commissioned work.<br /><br />As an entrepreneur it is equally important to define exactly what your goals should be. It is helpful for the entrepreneur to write down these goals. It helps to share your goals with others and not to be hesitant in asking for help.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>MOTIVATION</strong><br />"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself." -- Leonardo da Vinci<br /><br />It took Leonardo da Vinci more than 5 years to complete one of his most famous and well-known paintings, the &ldquo;Mona Lisa.&rdquo; He was motivated to paint what he envisioned and to have viewers &ldquo;feel&rdquo; the emotion of artwork. His students learned this as well and many of them became well-known High-Renaissance artists.&nbsp; <br /><br />The entrepreneur is motivated to succeed for many reasons. If the motivation is strong and there is enough emotional drive to succeed, he succeeds brilliantly.&nbsp; It is important to remember not to give up when your own entrepreneurial creation seems to be looking more like a rough sketch than the masterpiece you envision.&nbsp; <br /><br /><strong>CONCLUSION</strong><br />Leonard da Vinci became successful by following his vision, believed in himself and his artistry, planned, clarified his vision and was highly motivated to create art that would &ldquo;touch the viewer&rsquo;s soul.&rdquo; He recognized the link between the creative process and learning, endeavoring to teach those links to his pupils. <br /><br />So, all of you entrepreneurs, follow your artist within, believe in yourself, plan and make it happen.</p> 2009-06-13T02:55:48Z 2009-06-15T15:31:28Z -6.48067 540 5004 true 1 17974 the-artistic-spirit-of-the-entrepreneur 7 2009-06-15T08:28:45Z 2009-06-15T15:31:28Z

What is it that makes us want to expand our universe? Get curious, ask questions, form partnerships. Developing a product or providing a unique service is very exciting. Gather a master mind team and follow a plan.

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